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Going Under
"Going Under" is the lead single from bassist/producer James Moss' debut solo album "Jameson Dominic". The single was released on January 23rd, 2012, entering the UK charts at #3. Its enduring popularity helped it to outsell any Phoenix Rising single in the UK, hitting platinum sales and lasting 12 weeks on the chart. Background "Going Under" was written in 2011, as was most of James' solo album, after Phoenix Rising had re-released their album "Vermillion & Ash". At the time the band had no plans to release further material from the album, but James was caught up in creativity and wrote a lot of songs that he deemed ill-fitted to the band. After having previously been reluctant to branch out as a solo star, he decided the time was right after recording and producing demos of his songs. "Going Under" was one of the first of these, and James was sure it had to be the lead single for his album. The song features a very dance-oriented sound, devoid of any of the rock elements found in Phoenix Rising's music. The song was conceived as a duet, and was pitched to India-Skye who accepted the offer to feature on the song. India-Skye would include the duet version on her album, as did James - however a solo version by James was also recorded, which served as the main single version. India-Skye appeared in the video however, and the duet was the version used for the video. Reception The reaction to "Going Under" was overwhelmingly positive when it first premiered, both from James' industry peers and from the general public. Some were surprised how far away from Phoenix Rising's sound the song was, but all agreed that it was a hit record. Having been part of Phoenix Rising for more than three years, James already had a well-established fanbase to reach with the song, but the dance leanings helped him pick up some new fans who had not heard James' voice on Phoenix Rising's albums. The good reaction meant that radio stations in the UK got onboard quickly with the single. America was a little harder to warm up to the song; many thought the departure from Phoenix Rising's sound was a bit extreme for US audiences, and reaction was tentative - although the song was still a moderate success in the end. India-Skye's inclusion on the album version was also well-received. Tracklisting Promo CD # Going Under (Single Version) # Going Under (Album Version) (ft. India-Skye) # Going Under (RedTop Club Edit) CD1 # Going Under # When A Heart Brakes (Acoustic Demo) # Gravity (Demo) CD2 # Going Under # Speed Of Sound # Going Under (Groovesplitters Radio Edit) # Going Under (Original Club Mix) (ft. India-Skye) Digital EP # Going Under (Single Version) # Speed Of Sound # Going Under (Instrumental) # Going Under (Original Club Mix) (ft. India-Skye) # Going Under (More & Masters Big Room Mix) # Going Under (Electric Allstars Club Mix) # Going Under (Project 46 Extended Mix) Music Video The video opens to a city street outside. For a few seconds all we hear is the sound of traffic, then the camera starts to pan down. We hear the distant pounding of club beats (the instrumental to "Going Under") as we pass through several layers of ground. The music cuts out when we see James with dark hair, sunglasses on and decked out in leather, walking through a dimly-lit hallway. The intro to "Going Under" plays as we follow him into a seedy underground club. A throne is sat in the middle of the club, and James sits down in it while surrounded by party guests. From here he performs the first verse of the song, moving with the people around him. For the first pre-chorus, the video version uses James’ vocals from the solo version. James is seen getting up from his throne and standing in the middle of a crowd of dancers, and they begin to perform a dance routine (the same as the one James used in his Christmas Chart Show performance). When he sings ‘down, down, down’ he throws his arms out and all the dancers fall backwards and down onto the floor. James struts through the centre of them and walks out of frame as the chorus finishes. We cut to a new scene, of a black room with silver metallic stripes. The room seems to be revolving vertically, and we see India-Skye in the room performing for the camera sliding upside-down along the walls, floor and ceiling as gravity catches up with her while the room spins. Other shots show her in a light and open space. She can be seen caressing a light tube, and with wind blowing through her hair and clothing. Some of the shots during this sequence are mirrored down the center – particularly in the revolving room. When we reach the pre-chorus again, we cut to James in a futuristic jacket with a visor on, standing in a room of lights. He performs robotically for the camera as shots of varied distances are shown. For the chorus we cut back to the black room with the metal stripes, where James and a number of backing dancers perform another choreographed routine. While the focus is on James in the middle, India-Skye can be seen among the dancers. For the bridge we cut back to the seedy underground party. As James sings, we see two women handing him a large python, which he fondles as he looks to the camera. Layered over shots of the party going on, we see a man being sat down in a chair across the room from James. The man is tied to the chair and blindfolded, and James watches while he continues to handle the snake. James appears to be directing the lyrics of the song toward the blindfolded man in the chair. During the dropout, we cut to a white space where James and India-Skye are circling around each other as they trade their vocals back and forth. James makes a move at her, and she sidesteps him; special effects show them doubling up on-screen. James gets up and offers his hand to India, who takes it and spins into him. They dance closely, and we see more mirrored effect shots. Intercut are shots of the futuristic visor James in the light room, singing to the camera. For the last part of the song we see the seedy club again, where James and his dancers are performing another dance routine. We also see shots of James on-stage in the same club. This is intercut with the black and silver room, where James and his dancers are performing the same routine from the other scene. The camera is revolving instead of the room, as the scene turns upside down without the effects of gravity. As the song ends, the dancers and James all clear the room as the camera returns to an upright position. Chart Performance Chart predictions for "Going Under" were strong, with many indicators showing it would be a top 3 hit, and some even projecting a #1 debut. The single was not without competition though, from Candi and Tommy Gunn, who were both releasing strongly-tipped singles against James. At chart time, none of the week's releases topped the charts - instead, Crystal Barker's monster hit "Animal" held at #1 for a second consecutive week. James was second of his week still, coming in at #3 behind Candi with strong opening sales of 87,384; Moss' second highest opening (the highest being "Vermillion & Ash" with Phoenix Rising two months previous). The single was the best-seller of his week, beating Candi's and Tommy's total sales. It also went on to sell more than any Phoenix Rising single, with sales of 282,972 copies after 12 weeks in the top 40 (matching the run of "Rewritten", Phoenix Rising's longest-charting single). Digitally, "Going Under" was hampered in that the digital release was so close to the physical single's release, allowing for no build-up. On the digital chart it sold 61,198 copies over 3 weeks. Airplay was kind to "Going Under"; even though it did not peak in the top 10 it had a long shelf-life and stuck around in the top 20. In America, the song was not quick to take off, but it did eventually gain some traction. The single performed sluggishly, only making the top 20 at pop radio. There was some minor support from the rhythmic format due to the song's dance sounds, but overall airplay was not that strong and sales weren't great. In the end the song was a #37 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It wouldn't be until "Kingdom Hearts" was released that James would receive any major success as a solo artist in the States. Chart Run * Week 1: #3 - 87,384 * Week 2: #6 - 70,936 * Week 3: #12 - 32,485 * Week 4: #15 - 21,856 * Week 5: #14 - 21,023 * Week 6: #26 - 9,271 * Week 7: #20 - 13,355 * Week 8: #30 - 6,181 * Week 9: #33 - 7,761 * Week 10: #32 - 7,608 * Week 11: #34 - 5,112 * Week 12: #38 - 4,235 TOTAL: 282,972 Artwork Image:JM-GU-Promo.png|'Promo CD' Image:JM-GU-CD1.png|'CD1' Image:JM-GU-CD2.png|'CD2' Image:JM-GU-Digital.png|'Digital EP' Image:JM-GU-Banner1.png|'Banner 1' Image:JM-GU-Banner2.png|'Banner 2' External Links * Single everything topic